The
Buddha taught "the liberation of the heart which
is love," and he taught a systematic, integrated
path that moves the heart out of isolating contraction
and into true connection: the brahma-viharas, meditation
practices that cultivate love, compassion, sympathetic
joy and equanimity. These four qualities are
among the most beautiful and powerful states of consciousness
we can experience.

Sharon Salzberg, Insight
Meditation Society co-founder and guiding teacher, offers
a profound exploration of the deepest meanings of brahma-viharas,
bringing light to the spiritual value, practical utility
and psychological insight that most Westerners are longing
for.

Taught by sakyong
Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala Buddhist
lineage, and Acharya William McKeever

Discover
the natural strength of the mind through meditation.
This course offers a universal guide to "peaceful
abiding"—the simple practice of sitting meditation.
A step-by-step guided exploration of the practice of
shamatha meditation with which to strengthen, clarify
and stabilize the mind.

In this course you will learn:
• Why meditation is proactive and completely natural
• How to gather in a scattered mind and dismantle emotions
• How to overcome common obstacles to practice, from muscles aches to boredom
• How to establish a meditation practice

Bill
McKeever guides you through a workshop in peaceful abiding,
based on the first section of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's
book Turning the Mind Into an Ally. (A future
Ashoka course will continue this exploration, teaching
contemplative meditation.)

Taught
byProfessor Robert Thurman
Columbia University, Tibet House New Ypork

Robert
Thurman teaches the "preliminary" contemplations
that help you develop a solid basis for listening to the
teachings and developing a practice. Reflecting upon the
precious human birth, impermanence, karma, and the sufferings
of samsara frees one of the attachment to life in the realms
of samsara.

The
Genjo Koan, Dogen-Zenji's concise, poetic expression
of the practice of the Buddha’s dharma, is one
of the most treasured texts in the Soto Zen tradition.
Dogen's basic philosophy of our day to day lives as practice
in the bodhisattva way is precisely presented in this
guide to the integration of training with zazen and daily
life.

This
is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace...

When we read the words
of the Buddha, we are, of course, reading someone's
translation of those words. How does translation
influence the meaning and effect of the teachings?
In this course you explore the Metta Sutta, the Buddha's
discourse on loving-kindness, with Andrew Olendzki,
executive director of the Barre Center for Buddhist
Studies.

Lojong— training
the mind in the spirituality of love and compassion—is
the essence of the enlightened path. In this course
Lama Pema offers guidance in enhancing compassion,
cultivating balanced attitudes toward oneself and others,
developing positive ways of thinking and transforming
adverse situations. This course will help you deepen
your understanding of the meaning of love and compassion
through the practice of the pithy lojong sayings.

Ordinary
WisdomLama
Pema Wangdak guides you through Sakya Pandita's Treasury Of Good
Advice, a compendium of profound, down-to-earth, and practical Buddhist
advice on the art of living, as pertinent today in the West as has
been for many centuries past in the Tibet. Lama Pema unlocks the
wisdom teaching in Sakya Pandita's use of proverbs and stories to
address the basic questions of human existence and purpose.

Zen MeditationDaishin
Buksbazen of the Los Angeles Zen Center presents a clear and insightful
path into the philosophy and practice of Zen by providing a practical
introduction to Zen meditation. Daishin presents the essentials that
any new practitioner needs to know to enter the way of Zen meditation,

And
here are some of the courses we're planning...

The
Essence of Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths
The Eightfold Noble Path
Introduction to Zen
Engaged Buddhism
The Great Way is Not Difficult: The Zen Poem of the Third Ancestor
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism - teachings of Trungp Rinpoche
Prajnaparamita — Reflecting on the Heart Sutra
Dependent Origination The Pàramitas—The 10 Perfections
The Practice of Shin Buddhism
Metta - Awakening Loving-Kindness
Living an Awaken Life
Who is My Self? : A Guide to Buddhist Meditation
Four Foundations of Mindfulness
Awakening Compassion
The Ox-Herding Pictures: Emptiness and Fullness
Investigating Right Livelihood
The Practice of Perfection: the Paramtitas
Dzogchen Groundwork - Foundations of Dzogchen Practice
On Zen Practice : Body, Breath and Mind
The Bodhisattva's Way of Life—Shantideva's Bodhicaryavatara
The Abhidharma—Buddhist Teachings on Mind and Emotions
The Living Spirituality of Tibetan Buddhism
Opening to Enlightenment—Master Dogen's Teaching
Investigating Right Livelihood
Just Sitting: The Zen Practice of Shikantaza
Dharma Art
The Zen Koan
Being with Dying
Peacemaker Training
The Wonders Around Us - Discovering Dharma in the World Around Us
Words of My Perfect Teacher
The Buddha's Teachings and the Art of Ethical Living
Zen Master Dogen's Mountains and Rivers Scripture
The Art of Zen - Zen and the Arts
Vajra Yoga
American Koans